about my new JRT puppy

Question
QUESTION: Hello Beth
My name is Marcela and I wanted to ask you a few things about getting a new JRT puppy. We are going to pick him up on Saturday and I want to be prepared to be a good owner and also train a good dog. I have already researched most things but I wanted to ask you a few more. Do you think it will be good if I get a Jack Russell and I dedicate him more time at night than during the day (and also very early in the morning)?  Starting January I might work full time; however my brothers still study and work near home; my mom gets back from work at around 4 too. With this level of people-activity, will the dog be fine without me in the house? I know he needs activity and I have no problem in playing with him a lot when I get back. My second question is, when he is an adult, where can I leave him? can I put a gate on my kitchen and leave him with a strong toy? I don't think I want to leave him in a crate for so long and I am also not sure about the whole house. What do yo recommend? My last question is, is it really bad if I don't neuter him? My dog in Peru was not neutered (German shepherd) and most dogs aren't. We did not have any problems, but for some reason here in the US I keep reading it's recommendable. I hope I was allowed to ask you more than one question. Thanks in advanced!  Marcela

ANSWER: Marcela -

Feel free to ask all the questions you want !  I am just thrilled that you are thinking ahead so you have plans in place for these issues.

OK - Neutering.  I strongly recommend neutering.  Jack Russells are **often** aggressive with dogs of the same gender, no matter what size.  You can help address this some by neutering. It has also been well scientifically that neutering extends the dog's life and it's one less body part to worry about getting sick !

As a puppy, it sounds like it will work great to have so many people coming and going. That will allow everyone to chip in on the housetraining, and being exposed to that many people helps with socialization.  On the other hand, you may need to take the lead to make sure your puppy does not get spoiled or end up pushing everyone around.

I crate my dogs. I work full time and commute about 1/2 and hour a day.  Dogs like crates, and mine often go in theirs to take naps.  I also crate all my foster dogs.  Now, you can certainly use a gate in one room. Many people use bathrooms or laundry rooms.

Toys like kongs are wonderful, and once your baby gets a little older, you can introduce things like peanut butter. Putting some inside a kong and then freezing it helps it last longer as entertainment while no one is home.

I think you are going to make a wonderful dog mommy !  The only thing I would ask is that you feed the best food you can afford. Many dogs have bad reactions to foods containing corn, wheat or soy, but there are many good brands which do not contain those.

Have a blast with the new kid !

-Beth

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello again Beth! Since I know you know a lot about terriers, I want to ask you a question instead of waiting until I go to the veterinary. My puppy is doing very good. But I have a food question. When the breeder had him, they were feeding him PurinaOne. But since I researched that it was not the best choice, I bought him a brand recommended by someone at Petco: NutroUltra. I wanted to give him something good, and not commercial brands. Since I only had some Purina, I mixed it with Nutro the first two days, and then I gave him Nutro by itself. He eats it when he is hungry, but not all; he also eats more whenever we give it to him by hand. By my real worry is, 1) he is scratching himself a lot lately 2) his poop is not solid; sometimes is soft, and there have been two times when it was VERY soft, not completely liquid though. About the scratching, I don't see any fleas on his belly. Do you have any idea if it could be food allergy? Should I give him more Purina? I will appreciate any suggestions you might have!
Thank you!

Marcela

Answer
Marcela -

I would stay away from the Purina. I do not feed any food that has corn, wheat or soy in it.

I usually feed Eagle Pakc, but if I can;t get it I also like Blue Buffalo, Wellness, Chicken Soup.  I just went onto their website and read the ingredients for Nutro Ultra, and it seems just fine to me.

Please check his ears for the itching as the first try. The other thing to remember is that, depending on where you live, its winter and we all have our heat on now. heat dries the air out and may be drying out your baby's skin too (I know it does mine).

I have sometimes used Bach Rescue Cream on Connor when he got dry skin - since jacks essentially are naked).  The trick was trying to keep him from licking it off since he thinks it tastes good.  Luckily it all herbal and not dangerous at all.

Another thing you can try is to put a tiny bit of lavender oil in a small spray bottle with water and spritz him.  It is very soothing to the skin.

Beyond these things you will be getting into medical intervention, which you will need to see your vet about.

My newest foster dog has large bald, scabbed patches because of allergies. I'm so anxious for her to arrive this weekend so we can get her healed up.  She's been a puppymill breeder dog her whole life, so now she has to learn about living in a house.

I'm sorry I don't have any perfect answers for you !

-Beth